7 Brilliant Bedroom Buys Designers Actually Chose for Their Own Kids

Hobson shares that she has used the cult-favorite IKEA Kallax shelf many times when designing kids’ spaces, including in her own home. “Both my boys have them in their rooms, and they have made it through the toddler years all the way to their current teen ages,” she says. She sings the shelf’s praises, saying that this form of storage can be used as bookshelves, “fabulous toy storage when cubbies are filled with baskets,” or a combo of both.

She adds that these shelves can stand up vertically or lie horizontally depending on the model and space you’ve got, making them a great flexible option as room needs change.

For the bedroom that Thornton’s two girls share, Thornton started with furniture, taking into account the girls’ stages at the time and their needs in the years to come.

“I knew my youngest would be out of a crib soon, but would also need a transition bed, and I was hesitant to buy multiple pieces of furniture for such a short timeframe,” she says. Her clever solution was investing in the GREENGUARD Gold Certified RH Baby & Child Bellina Arched Panel Bunk Bed.

“While the crib was still being used, the top bunk served as a play fort for my 4-year-old.” she says. “When we no longer needed the crib, we simply lowered the top bunk to the ground, with the guard rail serving as a toddler bed. When the time came to finally graduate both girls to real beds, the bunk bed went back to its original position and we placed a desk into the corner previously occupied by the crib and top bunk.”

Whenever she designs a client’s kid’s room, Leslie Kramer, founder and principal Designer of Lighthouse Home & Design in New Jersey, always includes a nook for a chair, beanbag, or swing, “where kids can come to relax, read a book, listen to music, or write in their journal.”

She says that her preteen daughter has a hanging swing in her nook, the Alejandro 1 Person Chair Hammock, which comes in a set of two.

“Kids have a lot of stimulation all day long, so providing a quiet moment for them is important in the home,” she says.

Kramer also created a nook for her son’s room, only this time, she chose the Crate & Kids Sesame Brown Organic Cotton Boucle Kids Lounge Chair and placed a sconce overhead for extra reading light.

Hobson says that both of her children have had small play tables in their rooms, which “provide a fun place to encourage creative play” via tea parties, LEGO builds, coloring, and puzzles.

For a “great space for kids to collaborate and play together,” she has used the GREENGUARD Gold Certified ECR4Kids Hardwood Table in her kids’ rooms.

To create a Scandi-inspired space that still felt playful, Thornton included black triangle wall decals in her son’s room — and, to reinforce that geometric look, she turned to the black-and-white IKEA Stockholm rug, with its color-blocking acting as “the perfect complement to add visual interest and tie two surfaces together.”

In her daughters’ shared room, Thornton wanted to integrate as much storage as possible, so she opted for a closet insert designed for kids that boasts rods and cubbies that are within their reach, “in the hopes of them actually putting away their own clothes.” While she says that this has had a 50/50 success rate, “it is most definitely better than if they couldn’t reach things at all.” She adds that “since we had two girls sharing, the closet was also customized with two easily defined ‘sides.’”